Monster Mash

Scaring up the best Halloween concerts of the weekend

MUSIC OF THE NIGHT Thee Hobo Gobbelins get spooky at the Arlene Francis Center on Halloween.

Hey! Halloween is on a Saturday this year, a rare treat for adults who usually spend the holiday sitting at home handing out fun-size candies or face the following day hung over at the office. This year, the North Bay is packing the occasion with concerts and events full of frightful fun.

North Bay Cabaret starts our list with its third annual All Hallow's Eve bash at the Arlene Francis Center. The vaudeville-inspired collective of belly dancers and performance artists brings a barrage of Bay Area bands with twisted pop sensibilities.

From Oakland, the dark and twisted carnival folk of Thee Hobo Gobbelins and the heavy metal of Nephilim face off in the main auditorium, while the hometown sounds of the Corner Store Kids and the bizarre homemade instruments of Andy Graham and Monty Monty chill out in the outdoor Cage Stage.

Also in Santa Rosa is a special Wicked Halloween party at the Flamingo Hotel, hosted by Copperfield's Books. Gregory Maguire, author of

Wicked, will judge a costume contest and read from his new novel, After Alice, a re-imagining of Alice in Wonderland. Music from veteran North Bay rockers J Silverheels will help you dance the night away.

Down at the Green Music Center, organist Dave Parson performs a program of "Phantoms and Fugues" on Schroeder Hall's immaculate cathedral-like organ, evoking ghostly sounds that will accompany a special screening of the Halloween Classic It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

At HopMonk Tavern in Sebastopol, the eighth annual "Cirque du Sebastopol" returns with the infectious, invigorating party tunes of Hot Buttered Rum. Down the road, 775 After Dark (Aubergine) is hosting "Twerk or Treat," the best-named Halloween event in the North Bay. Bumping with plenty of good vibes, this hip-hop show features Oakland rapper and Bay Area legend Dru Down, Zion I member and DJ AmpLive and Santa Rosa's Pure Powers.

In Marin County, the Tomales Town Hall's Halloween Costume Ball features blues heroes Ron Thompson & the Resistors in a 21-and-over fundraiser. Over at Sweetwater Music Hall, RatDog guitarist Steve Kimock joins longtime psychedelic favorites New Riders of the Purple Sage.

In Napa County, White Barn presents an avant-garde mix of costume party and performance in "Welcome to Scary Land." Back by popular demand, the German expressionist–themed show mixes eerie stories, shadow puppets and more for a uniquely spooky experience.